Top Tips for Studio Motivation

Wed 28th Jun 2017

Procrastination affects us all, even in our art studios, but the key to staying creative is to stick to a steady routine, says BP Portrait Award winner, Susanne du Toit

ABOVE If you’re lucky enough to have a windowed studio, allow as much natural light into the space as possible

Motivation is a difficult subject, it is so personal and varies greatly from artist to artist. Needless to say, there is no perfect regime or guaranteed recipe for productivity, and this is one of the most interesting things about art. Frank Auerbach famously took one day a year off from painting, but eventually he denied himself even this luxury. Meanwhile, Gerhard Richter has said, “I could spend my life arranging things. Weeks go by, and I don’t paint, until finally I can’t stand it any longer.”

Nevertheless, it can be helpful to discover what works for other people, and so here are some guidelines – practical and psychological – that have helped me over the years.

Susanne’s top tips for studio productivity

• GET INTO GOOD HABITS. Find a few simple rituals that help you get focused, whether it be putting on a work shirt, listening to a certain piece of music, or collecting your thoughts by making notes. These are like triggers that we associate with being productive.

• TAKE A BREAK. Spend at least one day a week working or researching away from your studio so that you come back with fresh perspective.

• KEEP THINGS MOVING. Have more than one painting on the go at any time, so that you don’t start to drift when you’re stuck or finished with a painting.

• TRUST THE PROCESS. Remember that you have worked your way through problems before, and you can do it again.

Susanne du Toit, Ennuie, oil on canvas, 75x154cm

Perfect a state of mind

To be motivated in the studio, you need to be comfortable on your own. Being alone is an integral part of creativity, essential for the development of ideas. This isn’t such a problem when you’re desperate to paint, but most people find there are still times when being alone in the studio makes them restless. This is why I see painting as a form of meditation, with the aim of becoming totally absorbed, immersed in the moment. Generally a painting is going well when I’m completely lost in it: my mind doesn’t wander, I can hear myself breathing, and before I know it, four hours have passed.

Thinking about your practice as a state of mind also helps with that other major psychological challenge – overcoming self-consciousness and the pressure of expectation. As composer John Cage once put it to painter Philip Guston, “when you start working, everybody is in your studio – the past, your friends, enemies, the art world, and above all, your own ideas – all are there. But as you continue painting, they start leaving, one by one, and you are left completely alone. Then, if you’re lucky, even you leave.”

For me the main question of motivation is how to find this state, or how to persevere when it’s just not happening. Most artists will tell you they have certain habits and rituals to help them to ease into a painting. You can create focus out of familiarity by developing a routine. This is a sort of professionalism – think of Einstein who famously wore the same outfit everyday. Likewise, Pierre Bonnard began each day with a walk, to make notes and gather inspiration. Note-making and sketching are a great way of gaining momentum, as is looking through your sketchbooks.

ABOVE Susanne thinks of studio time almost like meditation, a place where you must be completely comfortable on your own for lengthy periods

Turn up for work each morning

Obviously habits and routines form part of the wider question of discipline. You develop them as part of a long-term, consistent practice. Most artists agree that it’s a good idea to treat your work like any other profession and turn up each morning for work. Even if you’re not feeling particularly inspired, the act of going into your studio, just to see what happens or to reflect on your work, is good for your sense of resolve.

It is important, though, not to let discipline become an obstacle or a sense of obligation that confines freedom and creativity. You could think of discipline as a commitment to yourself. Furthermore, getting away from the studio at least once a week is important too. This allows you to come back to your work with fresh eyes, new inspiration, and new solutions. Spend a day sketching somewhere else, or visiting galleries.

Celebrate your finished artworks

There are times when paintings take a bad turn, when the euphoria disappears and you feel defeated, like a beginner. This is one of the most difficult parts of the process, but therein lies the answer – it is just part of the process. Remind yourself that you’ve been here before, and things will come right. To emphasise this, I make a habit of stacking the finished paintings that I think are successful around me in the studio, so that I can look for inspiration in my own completed work. Before I end a session, I devise a plan for what I want to do next, and find myself mulling this over when I’m elsewhere – in the shower, or while cooking. This breeds a sense of urgency to get back and resolve the painting.

Susanne du Toit, Thinking deeply, oil on canvas, 75x154cm

Work on more than one painting

Finishing a painting can be like finishing a great book – you’re not quite ready to move on. This is when procrastination can set in and, in the absence of a project to work on, procrastination can quickly turn to self-doubt. The simplest and most effective remedy for this is to have more than one painting on the go at any time. This means that when you get stuck you can turn to a different work, and when you finish a painting, you aren’t left with the sense of having to start again.

Finally, when struggling to get going or to find inspiration for whatever reason, try to keep a graphic journal about your life, much as writers use a journal to get their thoughts flowing. Doing this is not only highly therapeutic, but lets you reconnect your feelings and your creative hand in a context free from the pressure of serious work. You should value anything that reminds you that the reason you are making art, is because you want to.

Susanne received First Prize at the National Portrait Gallery's BP Portrait Award in 2013. See more of Susanne's art at www.susannedutoit.com

The Author

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